none of his older brothers were there. He quickly went down to the courtyard and, having made sure there was no one around, jumped over the low fence and nimbly ran down the steep slope via his usual shortcut. This took him straight to the spot where Bragi was likely to be.
He quickly climbed up the back wall of the house and gently pried open the shutter on the upper floor. The room was unlit, but Einar could still see clearly enough. The eldest brother was fast asleep, nestled in his fiancée’s arms. Einar doubted that the girl’s parents knew about her fiancé’s visit, but he also knew they weren’t at all opposed to secret trysts. The boy sighed and shook his head. The light streaming through the window must have been bothering the girl, because she snorted and turned angrily towards the irritating intrusion.
‘Hi, Inga!’ Einar grinned, seeing the surprise on his brother’s fiancée’s face. The girl quickly covered herself with the duvet and shot the lad a murderous glare.
‘I hope this isn’t one of your pranks, Einar, because not even your brother will stand up for you,’ Inga declared, still glaring at him.
‘Not this time,’ he replied, glancing at his brother, who was still fast asleep. ‘Could you wake Bragi up?’ Einar pulled himself up onto the window sill and hung there, supported only by his shoulders. It was more comfortable that way.
‘Bragi!’ Inga gave her fiancé a mighty nudge, then shook him by the shoulder. ‘Bragi, get up!’ At last, the young man muttered something, put his arm round the girl and pulled her close.
‘Maybe you should wait until I’ve left.’ Einar’s tone made it abundantly clear that he had no intention of watching whatever his brother fancied. Bragi reacted faster than his girlfriend had earlier.
‘Einar, you little…’ He picked up a boot lying next to the bed and was just about to swing it at him.
‘The druids have foreseen the arrival of a ship.’ Einar blurted out quickly, which meant he didn’t have to duck to avoid the
